Thursday, December 28, 2006

My testimony



I thought since this was my first blog post that as good a place to start as any would be with my testimony.

Since my family moved to North Carolina my life has drastically changed. When I look back at the past and what a huge difference there is between then and now I don't know how to explain it. Really the only way is to say IT WAS GOD!!

I was saved when I was 6 years old around the end of the year, close to time for me to turn 7. Mom and some of her friends were watching a movie about the life and death of Jesus Christ. I sat down to watch it with them. At the end of the movie was a thing telling you how and why to be saved. The Lord convicted me of my many sins, showed me that I was lost and on my way to hell. He told me in my heart that HE loved me and then He saved me that night when I begged Him to forgive me and to be my Saviour. After I got saved I grew a little in the Lord, we went to church and I learned about the Bible but I didn't fully understand how God wanted me to live the life He had given me.

We ended up moving, which started a long series of moves and every time we moved we only got further away from God. I was a "good" kid, my friends liked me, my enemies respected me, and I was a fairly popular sort of gal. Mom and I had gotten deeply involved in the feminist movement (complete with protest marches and speeches). I was very much a tomboy. I thought that when I grew up I wanted to be either the President or a farmer. I had a foul mouth, nasty attitude, and was quite rebellious at heart.

Well, we moved again....this time to North Carolina. We came here with our lives in shambles. The only reason Mom and Dad hadn't divorced was for our sakes and neither one had the money for a lawyer. My brothers were my worst enemies and I felt like God had forgotten me. I had given up on things getting better.....I had lost hope.

My Mom, (who had gotten saved back in Missouri when she was pregnant with my younger brother) had cried out to God for help for our family though. HE heard her cries and sent us help......actually 2 of them!! Pastor Hoyle and Brother David Dougherty were out on visitation and knocked on our apartment door on a Saturday afternoon. With a hearty Hello and great big smiles they invited us to Little River Baptist Church. We went in during the missions conference wearing our tight jeans and sleeveless shirts and not once got turned away or told to change or looked down on by anyone there. For the 1st time in a LONG time we really felt welcomed and loved.

Soooo....we kept coming back. No matter how mad Mom got at the preaching, no matter what the Lord was convicting Ma about (or Dad) we kept coming. Slowly the shorts and pants and tight shirts and all the other unmodest clothes were thrown out. It all got replaced by nice dresses and skirts and the KING JAMES BIBLE. Along the bumpy road up hill my Daddy got assurance of his salvation, my little brother got saved, my other younger brother got rededicated to the Lord and was called to preach! We all got baptized and got right with God.

We've been here now for almost 2 years. During that time, my older brother got saved, we've all grown closer to the Lord and I feel the Lord calling me into missions. My every ambition in life has changed! I have no idea where God will send me or what He will ask of me. All I know is that I will go where ever and do whatever He tells me to do.

Needless to say.....I'm not gonna be President, and I'll likely never own a farm. Now I enjoy going out soul winning, learning how to sing for Jesus and play music and just spending time with God. I am in training to be a good homemaker, wife and mother. Hopefully this spring I'm going to apprentice a beekeeper and learn to keep my own honey bees. My Mom and I are going to start an online store where we can sell modest clothing and some homemade items (Lord willing). Our family all works hard to keep our garden alive and we share the responsibility of our chickens, dog, cat and parakeets. Soon we'll have Rabbits and maybe eventually goats too. We're seeking the Lord's will for what He wants us to do now......and I don't know what the future may hold, but I sure do know for sure who holds the future!

Hello

Hi everybody.......this is Fred's momma. I am here to tell ya that my sweet little Fred is fixing to make her first blog post!!!! Everyone be nice and sweet to my little Fred.

Loves ya Fredaweeeenaaaaa.